Chapter 33

Reece didn’t let Sienna carry the fish and vegetables; instead, he chivalrously took them into the kitchen himself. Sienna had wanted to be brave and handle the fish, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, Recce stepped in and took care of it.

After taking the medicine provided by the show, Jamar was feeling a lot better. Though his body was still a bit weak, he managed to make his way into the kitchen.

When Sienna saw him, she greeted him with a few concerned words. Even though it sounded a bit perfunctory, Jamar was still quite content.

“I’ve never had your fish taco before, Sienna. I’m going to eat a lot tonight,” he said.

Just as he finished speaking, Maddox walked in carrying a dish and overheard. With a smirk, he said, “In that case, you’d better ask the crew to get you an extra box of medicine.”

Jamar rolled his eyes. “Why do you always have to be involved in everything?”

Maddox shrugged. “Just looking out for you.”

Jamar scoffed. “Oh, thanks so much for your concern!”

Sienna, meanwhile, was fuming at Maddox’s remark, thinking, “Does this guy look down on my cooking skills that much! I will prove to him I can outshine Phoebe.”

Determined, she resumed slicing the fish, but her knife skills left much to be desired, resulting in pieces that were all over the place—some big, some small, some thin, some thick.

Just as she was nearly done, the knife slipped and cut her finger.

Seeing the blood, Sienna froze for a second. Then, out of habit, she looked towards Jamar with teary eyes. “Jamar, I cut my finger,” she whimpered.

She held up her hand to Jamar’s mouth. “Quick, help me stop the bleeding.”

Jamar immediately leaned in and gently sucked on her injured finger to stop the bleeding. “It’ll be fine in a bit,” he reassured her, and asked Erika to grab a band-aid from the crew.

Watching the scene, Erika felt a wave of discomfort, thinking, “What kind of sister asks her brother to stop her bleeding like that? Are these two too close?”

Even Reece couldn’t help but frown at their interaction, and viewers watching the live stream were just stunned.

Soon enough, fans of Jamar and Sienna jumped in to defend them. “You’re all just jealous of their bond! Our Marr loves spoiling his little sister!” “Exactly. With such an adorable little sister, who wouldn’t want to dote on her endlessly!” “They’re real siblings. If your mind is in the gutter, you see dirtiness everywhere.”

But the fans’ aggressive defense only left a bad taste in the mouths of many viewers, who already found the siblings’ behavior uncomfortable.

Phoebe, who had just walked in carrying a bowl, also caught the interaction. Her lips curled into a faint smile—these two never failed to live up to her expectations.

At home, Sienna was treated like a pampered little princess. If she ever felt the slightest bit uncomfortable, she’d demand to be held and comforted by her brothers, sometimes even with kisses. And often, she did it on purpose, just to rub it in Phoebe’s face.

Yet even when she wasn’t hurt, Phoebe never felt envious or bitter. After all, she couldn’t imagine ever being that close to her own lousy brothers.

When Phoebe walked in, Sienna immediately started playing up her distress, constantly seeking comfort from Jamar, who doted on her with tender reassurance. The two of them, one leaning in for comfort and the other embracing her protectively, were more than just a little close. Their actions didn’t just give everyone present goosebumps; even the viewers watching the live stream felt their teeth ache from the awkwardness.

Naturally, these comments got the fans of Jamar and Sienna riled up. They kept insisting that the two were just siblings and told everyone to stop overthinking things.

Meanwhile, Erika returned with a band-aid from the production team. Jamar carefully applied it to Sienna’s cut finger, and she, trying to be brave, went back to preparing the fish.

Although she followed all the steps to make fish tacos correctly, the end result didn’t exactly look appetizing. It wasn’t just the viewers who felt that way—Reece and the others could tell that Sienna’s version of the dish lacked the enticing aroma that had wafted through the courtyard when Phoebe was cooking.

Even though Erika was starving, she couldn’t bring herself to dig into the fish. But Sienna, with a fork, placed several pieces onto Erika’s plate.

“Erika, you said you wanted fish tacos, so I made it especially for you. Go ahead, give it a try,” Sienna said with a bright smile.

Erika wanted to roll her eyes, thinking, ‘Made especially for me! Yeah, right.’ But she put on a polite smile instead. “Sure!”

She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, barely managing to swallow it without gagging. The fish tasted overwhelmingly fishy, lacking the rich aroma from Phoebe’s earlier dish. She was regretting her earlier comment about wanting the same dish.

Sienna wasn’t backing down. “How is it?” she asked, expecting praise, confident she had followed the steps.

With a forced smile, Erika replied, “It’s alright,” and quickly finished what was on her plate. To avoid getting served more, she stood up and busied herself by eating a plate of pasta, keeping her head down to escape further offerings.

This left Sienna feeling annoyed. She thought Erika was just being picky—she’d asked for the fish and now she was acting all standoffish.

Determined, Sienna picked up more pieces and served them to Jamar and Reece. “You guys try some too,” she insisted.

Jamar took a bite and paused, stunned, thinking, “How can two sisters make the same dish with such wildly different results?”

Although he hadn’t gotten to taste Phoebe’s version, he could still remember the enticing aroma that had filled the courtyard earlier, making him hungry even while he was lying in bed. He knew it must have been delicious since Phoebe’s cooking was always top-notch. But the fish on his plate now was overwhelmingly fishy, without any other flavors to balance it, and the texture was tough. He wanted to cry. Still, to support Sienna, he forced a smile and said, “It’s really good.”

Sienna, pleased, put even more on his plate. “Then have some more, Jamar.”